Disposable ice pack

ABSTRACT

A disposable ice pack for treating an area of a person&#39;s body that has been traumatized or inured is disclosed. The ice pack includes a polyethylene bag portion having a sealable open top end, a pair of side edges and a closed bottom end forming an inner cavity. The inner cavity receives ice. A closure mechanism is disposed along an inner surfaces of the bag portion top end and provides a water tight seal for the ice pack. A pair of fluid absorbable material sheets are attached by a heat seal along the side edges and bottom end to the bag portion. The sheets of fluid absorbable material permit the disposable ice pack to soak-up any body fluids seeping from the traumatized area. An alternate embodiment further includes a plurality of tie-straps for permitting the ice pack to be wrapped around a person&#39;s body part. The tie-straps are attached by the heat seal.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to ice packs. Moreparticularly, it relates to a disposable ice pack having a liquidabsorbable material disposed about outer walls for applying to a woundedbody part wherein body fluids, such as blood, may be seeping from thewound.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] Ice and heat packs are known in the prior art. Both devices areknown to assist in medical care for bruises, cuts, swelled joints,muscular strain and the like. For instance, it is known that theapplication of heat assists in muscular strain once swelling has reducedat the point of strain. Accordingly, hot water bottles can be used toapply heat directly to the muscular strained area. U.S. Pat. Nos.1,711,876 and 1,819,913 both describe hot water bottle devices which canbe used for heat treatment. Hot water is poured into these devices andclosed, whereafter the device can be applied directly to a muscularstrain.

[0005] At least one prior art invention suggests a device which canaccommodate both heat or ice. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 1,927,751discloses a cover for a hot water bag or ice bag. This device employsstraps which can be used to secure the device to a patient.

[0006] The use of ice to reduce swelling and inflammation of a woundedbody area of a person is known to assist in the healing of that area.When trauma inflicts a body part, such as a knee, for example, swellingand inflammation of that area can occur. Inflammation is the result ofthe body introducing additional blood flow to the traumatized area.Additional blood flow assists in the healing of the wounded area bycarrying away damaged or dead tissue. Swelling is the body's way ofproviding a “natural splint” to the traumatized area. Unfortunately bothinflammation and swelling can cause additional pain to the person due tothe force exerted upon the traumatized area. It is thereforeadvantageous to reduce the swelling and inflammation, and hence the needto apply ice to the inflicted body part.

[0007] Devices to assist in the reduction of inflammation and swellingare known. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,932 describes an ice packfor use on a person's knee. Two compartments are employed to receive theice. This device is helpful in the reduction of inflammation andswelling to a person's knee but is unfortunately limited in many ways.For instance, the device is limited for use on joints such as knees andelbows and lacks the structural components to be adaptable to other bodyparts. Further, it lacks an outer layer which could be used to reducethe temperature of the outside of the bag, which would make the bag morecomfortable to hold by a person, and further lacks an absorbablematerial layer which could soak-up body fluids which may seep from thewounded area. This device could be wrapped in a dish towel. However, ifany body fluids seep from the wound (i.e., blood), the dish towel wouldthen need to be thrown away. This results in added expense and waste ofa perfectly good towel. A person could instead wrap paper towels aroundthe bag, but this too can add expense. Further, paper towels typicallydo not provide amble resistance from the coldness of the ice pack.

[0008] Some inventions have attempted to add an outer layer to theirrespective ice bag or heat pack. Such can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,074,300, 5,133,348 and 5,456,704. Unfortunately, all of theseinventions fall short of disclosing, let alone teach of suggest, adisposable ice pack having a fluid absorbable outer layer which soaks-upany body fluids of the wound and at the same time permits a person tohold the ice pack to the wound without being uncomfortable to hold dueto the coldness of the ice pack. Such a device is clearly needed toovercome all of the deficiencies of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] I have invented an improved ice pack for use in treating bodypart wounds. My device is disposable, inexpensive to manufacture andautoclavable. The device includes a bag portion made to retain ice or afrozen ice pack made of a chemical composition enclosed within a softpliable shell. The bag portion is constructed from a material whichprecludes or significantly limits moisture from soaking therethrough. Asoft and sanitary fluid absorbable material is employed along opposedouter walls of the bag portion. In a preferred embodiment, the fluidabsorbable material is attached to the bag by a heat seal along at leasttwo side edges. The fluid absorbable material is capable of absorbingbody fluids which may seep from a traumatized body part. The fluidabsorbable material also reduces the transfer of heat thereby making thebag more comfortable to hold against the body part by a person's handsuch that it does not get too cold. It further assists in eliminatingany sweating that may occur from the bag portion.

[0010] The bag portion has a top open end for permitting the ice cubesor frozen ice pack to be inserted therewithin. A watertight closuremechanism is provided along the top open end and permits the ice pack tobe closed such that nothing falls from out of the bag portion.

[0011] A set of tie-straps can be included for permitting the ice packto be tied to person's body part, such as, for example, a knee. Thetie-straps are held in place in between the an outer wall of the bagportion and bottom surface of the fluid absorbable material by the heatseal.

[0012] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to providean improved ice pack which is disposable, inexpensive to manufacture andautoclavable.

[0013] It is a further object to provide an improved ice pack which canabsorb fluids which may seep from a traumatized body part while the icepack is employed.

[0014] It is still a further object to provide an improved ice packwhich reduces the transfer of heat thereby making it more comfortable tohold against the body when in use.

[0015] It is still yet a further object to provide an improved ice packwhich can have alternate tie-straps for permitting the ice pack to beattached to a person's wounded body part without the need to hold theice pack by hand.

[0016] Other objects, aspects and uses will be appreciated whenconsideration is taken herein of the below set forth drawings, detaileddescription and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The invention may be best understood by those having ordinaryskill in the art by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0018]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the novel disposable ice pack ofthe present invention, illustrating how ice cubes can be insertedthrough an open end and retained within a cavity of the pack;

[0019]FIG. 2 is a front elevational view thereof;

[0020]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;

[0021]FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of an alternate embodiment ofthe present invention having a plurality of tie-straps for attaching theice pack to a body part;

[0022]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

[0023]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the alternate embodiment of thepresent invention employed around a knee cap of a person.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Throughout the following detailed description, the same referencenumerals refer to the same elements in all figures.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 1, an improved disposable ice pack 10 of thepresent invention is shown. Ice pack 10 is generally square-shaped andincludes a bag portion 12 having an open top end 14, a pair of closedside edges 16 and a closed bottom end 18. Open top end 14 is providedwith a closure mechanism 20. In the preferred embodiment, closuremechanism 20 employs a resealable closure configuration typically seenin the product known under the trademark Zip-Lock®. Closure mechanism 20provides a water tight seal to ice pack 10 and further prohibitsanything inserted therewithin from falling out when closure mechanism 18is sealed.

[0026] With continuing reference to FIG. 1, bag portion 12 and itsrespective open top end 14, side edges 16 and closed bottom end 18 formsan inner cavity 22 which is used to retain ice cubes 24 or a freezablechemical composition having a pliable outer shell, such as an ice pack(not shown).

[0027] Referring to FIG. 3, it is shown that bag portion 12 has opposedouter walls 26 on which a sheet of fluid absorbable material 28 isattached juxtaposed to each bag portion outer wall 26 by a heat seal 30.Accordingly, in the preferred embodiment, the present invention utilizesat least a pair of heat seal points proximal to bag portion side edges16 (see FIG. 2). However, a third heat seal point, disposed proximal tobag portion closed bottom end 18 can also be employed to provide agreater adherence of each sheet of fluid absorbable material 28 to eachbag portion outer wall 26 as illustrated in FIG. 3. In both embodiments,however, the heat seal points 30 run parallel to the respective sideedge 16 or bottom end 18. In the preferred embodiment, the width of eachheat seal point 30 is about 0.09″ and the distance between an outer edgeof each heat seal 30 to the respective bag portion side edge 16 orbottom end 18 is about 0.12″. Although not shown, an alternateembodiment of the present invention could include a bag portion 12having a single sheet of fluid absorbable material 28 on one bag portionouter wall 26.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 4, an alternate embodiment of the presentinvention is shown. In such alternate embodiment, ice pack 10 includesall the features of the preferred ice pack, as fully discussedhereinabove, with the addition of a plurality of tie-straps 32. In thepreferred embodiment of ice pack 10 having tie-straps 32, fourtie-straps 32 are employed. One of each of the tie-straps 32 is attachedat one of each of four corners 34 of bag portion 12. As shown in FIG. 5,each tie-strap 32 is attached in between a bottom surface of the sheetof fluid absorbable material 28 and an outer surface of the bag portionouter wall 26 by the heat seal 30. Tie-straps 32 are made from a softflexible material so that it is comfortable to a person if employedaround a body part. In such a scenario, for example, as shown in FIG. 6,tie-straps 32 can be used to employ ice pack 10 around a person's knee.

[0029] In the preferred embodiment, bag portion 12 should be constructedfrom a material which prohibits or least minimizes moisture from soakingthrough outer walls 26. For example, polyethylene can be used for bagportion 12. Since ice pack 10 is meant to be disposable it would beadvantageous to construct bag portion from a material which breaks downquickly in the environment. Further to the preferred embodiment, thesheets of fluid absorbable material 28 should possess a high absorptionquality. A two fiber cloth material is preferred for the sheets of fluidabsorbable material 28 such that a first fiber is constructed ofalpha-cellulose and the a second fiber is constructed of polyester. Ifso desired, the two fiber material can employ a two color configuration,for example, blue and white. If such a case, the second fiber(polyester) can be made of blue ink and contain cellulose acetatesorbate.

[0030] Further to the preferred embodiment, a heat weld is used to sealthe sheets of fluid absorbable material 28 to the bag portion outerwalls 26. A seam sealer can be used to accomplish the heat weld. Forlarge production runs, a seam sealer tool specifically designed to theexact dimensions of the ice pack 10 would be most efficient andeconomical. Further, if the thickness of each bag portion outer wall 26is generally equal to the thickness of each sheet of fluid absorbablematerial 32, a better heat seal 30 can be made. In the preferredembodiment, the thickness of bag portion 12 is in the range of 1¼ milsto 2½ mils, with 2½ mils being the preferred thickness.

[0031] Equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forthabove such that they perform the same function in the same way forachieving the same result.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:
 1. A disposable ice pack for receiving andretaining a frozen material and for compressing against an area of aperson's body that has been traumatized, the disposable ice packcomprising: a) a bag portion having a sealable open top end, a closedbottom end and a pair of opposed side edges forming an inner cavity, aclosure mechanism disposed along inner surfaces of the top end providinga water tight seal to the ice pack, and a pair of outer walls; b) atleast one sheet of fluid absorbable material attached juxtaposed to oneof the bag portion outer walls, the at least one sheet of fluidabsorbable material making contact with the person's traumatized bodyarea and absorbing any body fluids seeping therefrom; and c) the innercavity receiving and retaining the frozen material.
 2. The disposableice pack of claim 1, wherein the bag portion is generally square-shaped.3. The disposable ice pack of claim 1, wherein the bag portion isconstructed of polyethylene.
 4. The disposable ice pack of claim 1,wherein the at least one sheet of fluid absorbable material isconstructed of a two fiber cloth comprising a first fiber ofalpha-cellulose and a second fiber of polyester.
 5. The disposable icepack of claim 1, wherein a pair of fluid absorbable material sheets areemployed, one sheet each attached juxtaposed to one each of the bagportion outer walls.
 6. The disposable ice pack of claim 5, wherein thepair of fluid absorbable material sheets are attached to the bag portionouter walls by a heat seal.
 7. The disposable ice pack of claim 6,wherein the heat seal is disposed along each bag portion side edge inparallel relationship thereto between each bag portion outer wall andeach sheet of fluid absorbable material.
 8. The disposable ice pack ofclaim 7, wherein an additional heat seal is provided along the bagportion bottom end in parallel relationship thereto between each bagportion outer wall and each sheet of fluid absorbable material.
 9. Thedisposable ice pack of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the bag portionis generally equal to the thickness of the at least one sheet of fluidabsorbable material.
 10. The disposable ice pack of claim 1, wherein thethickness of the bag portion is in the range of 1¼ mils to 2½ mils. 11.The disposable ice pack of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the atleast one sheet of fluid absorbable material is in the range of 1¼ milsto 2½ mils.
 12. The disposable ice pack of claim 1, wherein the frozenmaterial is chosen from the group including ice and a pliable containerof a freezable chemical composition.
 13. The disposable ice pack ofclaim 1, further comprising a plurality of tie-straps for attaching thedisposable ice pack to the traumatized area of the person's body. 14.The disposable ice pack of claim 13, wherein four tie-straps areemployed, one each attached by a heat seal at four opposed corners ofthe ice pack between one of the bag portion outer walls and the at leastone sheet of fluid absorbable material.
 15. A disposable ice pack forreceiving and retaining ice and for compressing against an area of aperson's body that has been traumatized, the disposable ice packcomprising: a) a generally square-shaped bag portion having a sealableopen top end, a closed bottom end and a pair of opposed side edgesforming an inner cavity, a closure mechanism disposed along innersurfaces of the top end providing a water tight seal to the ice pack,and a pair of outer walls; b) two sheets of fluid absorbable material,one each attached juxtaposed to one of the bag portion outer walls, oneof the two sheets of fluid absorbable material making contact with theperson's traumatized body area and absorbing any body fluids seepingtherefrom; and c) the inner cavity receiving and retaining the ice. 16.The disposable ice pack of claim 15, wherein the bag portion isconstructed of polyethylene.
 17. The disposable ice pack of claim 15,wherein each of the two sheets of fluid absorbable material areconstructed of a two fiber cloth comprising a first fiber ofalpha-cellulose and a second fiber of polyester.
 18. The disposable icepack of claim 15, wherein the two sheets of fluid absorbable materialare attached to the bag portion outer walls by a heat seal along thepair of opposed side edges and the bottom end.
 19. The disposable icepack of claim 15, wherein the thickness of the bag portion is in therange of 1¼ mils to 2½ mils and the thickness of each of the two sheetsof fluid absorbable material is in the range of 1¼ mils to 2½ mils. 20.The disposable ice pack of claim 15, further comprising a plurality oftie-straps for attaching the disposable ice pack to the traumatized areaof the person's body, one each attached by a heat seal at four opposedcorners of the ice pack between one of the bag portion outer walls andone of the two sheets of fluid absorbable material.